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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Drill, Baby, Drill -- Well Maybe Not

There is (or was) a broken oil well spewing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The owner of that well, BP, has been trying all manner of ways of plugging this, but nothing like this has been tried at depths like this. I've not heard much of a cry from the proponents of drilling lately, but hey if we drill for oil in sensitive places, these kinds of accidents are bound to happen.

So, it's time to vent. First of all, we all must take responsibility for this accident, for it is our desire/need to drive cars that use gasoline that leads to the need to drill for oil in such sensitive places. I am as complicit in this as anyone, even if I drive a smaller, relatively fuel efficient car.

Second, I find it interesting as well that many of the same people that are calling for smaller government are the ones crying the loudest for government help. I'll leave things there.

Finally, I find it interesting that the President is being blamed for not handling this properly. But, until the well is capped there is little that can be done. This isn't the same as Katrina, and so those comparisons need to be dropped. By all reports the Administration is doing all that it can, but as long as the oil spewing out, there's not much that can be done topside. Hopefully this top-kill attempt will do the job, and ultimately it is the petroleum industry that has the know-how to get this done. Then, when the oil stops, the job of cleanup can start and the government will be greatly involved.

So, back to the point -- we can drill baby drill, but if we drill baby drill it's likely that such disasters will happen. Are we willing to live with the possibility, or is now the time to get on with serious efforts at alternative energy sources?

7 comments:

You're right to point out our personal complicity in the system. Everyone points the finger at "big business" as though it's some "other" that we are not responsible for. But business responds to our demands. We are complicit.

Although I'm a heavy duty cyclist for much of my personal transportation and my wife is a devoted user of public transportation, we also drive and fly enough to be among the chief of sinners, to use Paul's telling phrase. Guilt needs to lead to acknowledgment of sin and radical changes of life. Who among us is able to do it?

One of the important things to consider is that we need petroleum based products to build the infrastructures for alternative energy schemes. If we wait until the oil is gone, it will be too late to build sustainable alternatives. In the meantime, we all need to work on reducing our carbon footprint and live simply so that others may simply live!

I agree with Anonymous. Drill for oil where it is on land, or in shallower water. If this well were on land, the "accident" probably would never have happened, and if it did, it would have been fixed quickly. No need for deep water drilling if there is oil in more accessible places. We need oil, and must drill for it.